This fall marks 73 years since Willie Thrower’s monumental moment in football history when he became the first Black quarterback to take a snap in the modern NFL.
Legendary Chicago Bears coach George Halas called on Thrower, a New Kensington native, in a game Oct. 18, 1953 against the San Francisco 49ers started by Western Pennsylvania native and Pro Football Hall of Famer George Blanda.
It was a moment the Bears organization has embraced, said Willie’s son, Melvin Thrower, and a unique opportunity has come from the ongoing relationship among the Bears, the Willie Thrower family and those connected with the Willie Thrower Foundation.
Melvin and Thrower’s other son, Willie Jr., will be VIP full-access guests of the Bears, front and center, for Day 2 of the NFL Draft, set for April 23-25 next to Acrisure Stadium on the North Shore.
“I couldn’t believe it,” said Melvin Thrower, who hopes to one day attend a Bears game at Soldier Field in Chicago.
“We (the Thrower family and the Willie Thrower Foundation) have had a connection with the Bears for some time now. They have been supporting us with the Willie Thrower Foundation. They’ve always made a donation. When I heard the Bears would welcome us to the NFL Draft, I was so excited. This event won’t happen again in Pittsburgh for a long time, and to be right there and be in the middle of such an amazing event, it is hard to put into words. We are so grateful.”
Melvin Thrower said he hopes to have a moment with someone in the NFL, possibly commissioner Roger Goodell, to talk about the league doing something in 2028 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Thrower’s landmark NFL game.
“Many people still don’t know what my father accomplished and all that he went through to make that dream a reality,” Melvin Thrower said.
Melvin Thrower credited New Kensington resident Melvin Smith, president of the Willie Thrower Foundation and a close Thrower family friend, for his role in making this latest connection happen.
Smith reached out to the Bears at the beginning of the year, noting that the Thrower family lived in New Kensington, not too far from where the NFL Draft would be held. Inquiries were made as to what role Melvin and Willie Jr. could play in the Bears’ Day 2 draft process.
“They (the Bears) didn’t realize how close we were,” Melvin Thrower said.
Melvin Smith said there has been constant dialogue with the Bears since 2023.
“It has been a really good relationship,” Smith said. “All of our correspondence had been through emails until last week when the phone rang, and it was the Bears asking if Willie Jr. and Melvin would come and sit with the Bears organization members on Day 2. They will be at a table, and there will be Bears people around them. I didn’t even have to ask them if they wanted to do that. They were so excited.”
In his history-making game, Willie Thrower was 3 for 8 for 27 yards against the 49ers. He helped lead the Bears on a drive close to the end zone, but Blanda returned to the game and completed the drive for a touchdown.
Thrower played just one more game that season before being released.
But history was made, and it set the stage for Black quarterbacks getting the opportunity to represent a team in the NFL.
In 1988, Doug Williams became the first Black quarterback to start a Super Bowl, and his electrifying performance for Washington helped the Redskins defeat the Denver Broncos, 42-10.
Fast forward 25 years, Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes and Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts faced off in the first Super Bowl to feature two Black starting quarterbacks.
Thrower starred at New Kensington High School in the 1940s before playing at Michigan State from 1949-52. He also became the first Black quarterback to play in the Big Ten Conference.
The New Kensington-Arnold School District has honored Thrower’s legacy, and a statue of his likeness and throwing motion stands at the entrance to the stadium near Valley High School.
The Willie Thrower Award, presented in April each year since 2019, honors the WPIAL’s top quarterback from the previous season and also works to keep alive Thrower’s lasting impact on the game of football, both locally and throughout the region and country.
“We are doing a lot of exciting things through the Willie Thrower Foundation, from the award to camps to essays, parades, homecoming,” Melvin Thrower said.
“It is about getting his name and his story of breaking the football color barrier out there and also celebrating his life and what he meant to so many people.”
The Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum at the Heinz History Center will host a special Pro Football Hall of Fame pop-up exhibit from Friday through April 27 in connection with the NFL Draft.
It will feature artifacts and memorabilia from legendary Western Pennsylvania quarterbacks such as Blanda, Joe Montana, Joe Namath, Dan Marino, Jim Kelly and Johnny Unitas.
Thrower will be among the quarterbacks featured.
ESPN, Smith said, is expected to cover the opening of the exhibit, and the Sports Museum will host a Draft Week Fan Zone featuring tailgate-style challenges and specialized tours.
“We were asked if we could put a trophy in the display, like the one we give out for the Willie Thrower Award,” Smith said.
“Since we are not able to get one made that quickly, we borrowed one of the two that (Armstrong graduate) Caden Olsen has from when he won the award.”